Behind the Bread: A Soda Story

The Great British Bake Off has us baking again. But behind the elaborate pastries and the perfect pies it’s the simplicity of baking where the pleasure lies. We revisit a classic

Irish Soda Bread

It’s safe to say that the Great British Bake Off has been a success: BAFTA and Rose D’or awards, Radio Times Award nominations and ratings figures averaging at 4 million per episode.

Today, the show is either in production or showing in 13 countries including Norway, Australia, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Baking is back and everyone wants a slice.

The truth is, though, that in some parts of the world, baking never went away. In some parts of the world, long walks end in buttered brown bread and huge mugs of tea. In some parts of the world, smoked salmonmust be eaten with an oven-fresh loaf and a squeeze of lemon.

Foodie Revolution

The Food Revolution sped through Ireland and its legacy is a tasty one. Foraging is a food trend favourite and Burren Lamb is gracing plates from Clare to Canberra. Galway and Louth oysters are making their way steadily up the list of most delicious delicacies, and cafés have embraced the cappuccino as a long lost beverage brother.

In short, Ireland is tasty.

But no matter how funky food gets or how innovative chefs become, a country should always save space for the classics.

In Ireland’s case, that classic is Soda Bread.

Baked is beautiful

Good Food Ireland isn’t just on the pulse of what’s tasty in Ireland – it is the pulse. When GFI recently quizzed Derek O’Brien, Principle of the National Bakery School Dublin, about the impact of baking’s new-found popularity he was pleased to say the least:

“People are waking up to the smell of real bread again – I’m thrilled and delighted.”

As O’Brien goes on to say, the mass production method for bread “was commercially developed after WWII to produce bread quickly and cheaply”.

Ratings provided by TripAdvisor Check out what other travellers say about Ireland and Ireland Hotels on TripAdvisor.

Ireland.com uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from Ireland.com.